Let me talk to my browser.

November 5, 2010 9:13 AM

Looking for a car loan? Get a better rate searching with Chrome.

Car loan rates at Capital ONE seem to be based on browser choice. Confirmed by: Marginal Revolution, The J-Walk Blog, Techdirt. (Via M-R).

posted by bonehead (12 comments total)

What's most interesting to me is not that this is happening, because targeted pricing has been around forever. It's that somehow Capital One must have thought that no one would ever notice. This is increasingly a foolish assumption.
posted by stoneweaver at 9:20 AM on November 5, 2010

This is not based on the browser. Starting a new session results in a new random rate being given for the same browser.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:20 AM on November 5, 2010 [4 favorites]

I saw at least two people on Slashdot run statistical analysis showing that all useragents get the same probability of advertised rates. This post isn't much more than confirmation bias.
posted by pwnguin at 9:22 AM on November 5, 2010 [4 favorites]

And if you open the site in IE6, Capital one forecloses on your house.
posted by boo_radley at 9:23 AM on November 5, 2010 [15 favorites]

It's not an interest rate, it's just a quote.
There's an assessment process before you actually get a rate determined, and it's not related to your browser.

So I guess the real headline would be: "Price quotes lower on Chrome."
posted by Stagger Lee at 9:24 AM on November 5, 2010

After reading the comments at Marginal Revolution, I don't think 'confirmed' is the right word.
posted by box at 9:24 AM on November 5, 2010

And providing rates based on browser choice would be a clear violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:27 AM on November 5, 2010

Yeah this is just a boneheaded A/B test for clickthrough based on quoted price.
posted by tjenks at 10:08 AM on November 5, 2010

Yeah this is just a boneheaded A/B test for clickthrough based on quoted price.

::looks at FP poster again::

::snickers::
posted by FatherDagon at 10:10 AM on November 5, 2010

pwnguin: I saw at least two people on Slashdot run statistical analysis showing that all useragents get the same probability of advertised rates. This post isn't much more than confirmation bias.

I looked through the Slashdot post comments, and didn't see any statistical analysis (though I didn't dig beyond the comments shown to anonymous browsers), but I did find two comments that confirmed browser bias: a run-down of browsers (run on Ubuntu 10.04 amd64, with an IP resolving from Finland) with cookies deleted and the same scores per browser each time, and a comment that turning off JavaScript results in the higher 3.50% every time.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:20 AM on November 5, 2010

I was about to say SPAM until I clicked 'more inside'. Don't most people use price comparison sites before taking a loan anyway now?

I've searched with IE, in London, and it's just given me some random options of places I could get credit if I wished. Hardly steering me toward a rate bracket.
posted by mippy at 11:30 AM on November 5, 2010

User-agent is not relevant. Ever since Slashdot's new ajax interface, I only visit every once in a while.
posted by pwnguin at 11:44 AM on November 5, 2010